Seoul shares trim gains late Tues. morning after hitting fresh high

▲ Officials of Hana Bank pose for a photo after the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) hit an all-time intraday high at the bank's dealing room in central Seoul on Jan. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

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Seoul shares trim gains late Tues. morning after hitting fresh high

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded higher late Tuesday morning, trimming early gains after hitting a new intraday high, led by auto and technology shares.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 21.07 points, or 0.46 percent, to 4,645.86 as of 11:20 a.m.

After opening 0.81 percent higher, the index touched an all-time intraday high of 4,672.04 at one point.

Gains later narrowed as large-cap semiconductor shares turned lower.

Auto and information technology (IT) shares led the advance.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor surged 11.58 percent, and its auto parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis soared 15.74 percent.

Internet giant Naver rose 1.17 percent, and its rival Kakao edged up 0.17 percent.

Game stocks were also strong, with NCSOFT jumping 6.71 percent and Netmarble increasing 0.92 percent.

However, semiconductors traded weak as industry leader Samsung Electronics fell 1.01 percent and SK hynix lost 2.67 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,471.7 won against the greenback at 11:20 a.m., down 3.5 won from the previous session.

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